Form 21209 -Classifying 21209 -Classifying Classifying Employment Situation Vignettes and Protocol

Attachment I: Study Vignettes (Both In-Person and Web Respondents)

Vignette Type	Vignette Number	Baseline Vignettes
Private – For Profit (P)	1	Jacqueline is an organic gardener who sells her produce through a local food co-operative store. In the winter she sells dried flowers, and kitchen as well as medicinal herbs from the garden. Jackie’s husband and two teenagers help her tend the garden and prepare the dried plants for sale or shipment.
P	2	Joe is a digital imaging specialist for a large group medical practice. He set up and now runs the Picture-Archiving and Communications System (PACS) to store and display X-ray, CAT, and MRI scans of the group practice’s patients. Joe works under a renewable contract with the practice. This is the fifth medical group that Joe has worked for since PACS began to be used to manage electronic medical images.
P	3	Marcella has done graphic design work since she graduated from college. She is currently working on a long-term contract with an advertising agency in a city near her home. She works from her home as well as on-site at the client’s offices. Marcella gets new business by word-of-mouth and by putting ads in the local paper.
P	4	Randall is a PhD chemist who operates an independent testing laboratory. He has special training in methods for detecting and identifying toxic chemicals. This lab is licensed and accredited to analyze chemical samples for a range of clients from law enforcement agencies to agricultural chemical producers. Randall has six full-time lab workers and occasionally pays outside experts for help with difficult or unusual tests.
P	5	Sam is an energy expert who advises restaurant owners about how to become more energy-efficient and “green.” He owns an organic food restaurant himself that has energy-saving kitchen equipment. Sam has also taken some business courses on how to use less energy, create less waste and still be profitable. He works along with a building company that upgrades restaurants with more eco-friendly equipment and energy-saving structural upgrades.

Vignette Type	Vignette Number	Baseline Vignettes
P	6	William is a realtor associated with Modern Family Realtors, a local firm. He meets clients at the Modern Family office where he has a cubicle, a phone and conference room privileges. The company keeps $500 a month for the space and support services, plus 2% of William’s commissions for the month.
Non-Profit (NP)	7	Arnold is an experienced carpenter who trains low-income and unemployed workers in how to “weatherize” buildings. His work is paid for by a foundation that gets its funding from the local utility company and grants from the state department of workforce development. The Town Council turned over an unused building to the foundation to give Arnold a realistic place to teach by assigning “hands-on” projects. He temporarily hires master craftsmen whose names he keeps on file to teach advanced and specialized skills.
NP	8	Nicholas does the maintenance and repair work at three inner-city schools for “at-risk” youth. These students have dropped out of the regular school system but want to get more education or career training. A community-based foundation that is funded by corporate contributions operates these schools. Nicholas is skilled in plumbing, wiring, repairing HVAC equipment and other maintenance tasks.
NP	9	Philip is a trained nurse and a lay missionary for his church. He operates a small mission clinic on a Native American reservation. The clinic provides basic nursing care to reservation people on weekday mornings. In the afternoons, Philip visits homes to check on the health of older residents and other homebound persons and also to perform missionary work. He leads a religious service every Sunday in the tribal hall.

Vignette Type	Vignette Number	Baseline Vignettes
Gov’t (G)	10	Chizuko is a Japanese statistician who now lives in America. She developed a new, powerful computerized method for analyzing economic data from airline companies while she was at a Japanese university. A US government agency wants to use this new statistical method to calculate how competitive US airlines are with foreign airlines in the global travel market. This agency is paying Chizuko for the time she works with its staff to adapt her statistical software, and it provides her with an office at its headquarters and a secretary to help with administrative tasks while she’s working on this project.
G	11	Lawrence is an experienced automotive technician who maintains and repairs the vehicles (police, fire, ambulance, etc.) owned by his town. Lawrence works on the vehicles in a town garage, using his own tools. The city transportation department buys needed parts and supplies from its approved vendors, based on the work orders that Lawrence prepares and submits to the Town Clerk’s office.
G	12	Marvin works full time collecting environmental data (like water samples and air quality measurements). He does this for his state environmental agency and for the federal EPA. He covers a range of locations in the northwest part of the state where he lives. He’s mostly outdoors in the field in his car and on foot. He occasionally attends meetings at both agencies’ offices in the state capital.

Attachment II: Vignette-based Materials

WEB INTRODUCTION

The following survey is being conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This voluntary study is being collected under OMB No. 1220-0141 and it is estimated it will take you no longer than 20 minutes to complete.

Note: This survey is being administered by Qualtrics.com and resides on a server outside of the BLS Domain. The BLS cannot guarantee the protection of survey responses and advises against the inclusion of sensitive personal information in any response.

IN-PERSON INTRODUCTION

Hi! Thank you for coming in today. My name is ( ). I work for ( ) in the Bureau of Labor Statistics. [This is my colleague ( ) from the ( ) office]

I [we] look forward to working with you today.

With your permission, I will be taping this session. This allows me to ensure the accuracy of your answers, and also allows me to focus on you and your responses instead of taking notes. Do you mind if I audiotape?

Before we get started, please read over the consent form. If you agree to participate in the study, print and sign your name as indicated on the bottom of the form. If you do not agree, please let me know now.

Let me explain a bit about what we’ll be doing today. We are going to be discussing an issue that has particular relevance for the Bureau’s labor force survey – the Current Population Survey – namely, how people describe their jobs and those of their household members. The CPS is an ongoing survey that produces the nation’s monthly unemployment rate as well as a wide variety of other demographic statistics, so your input here today will be used to help us improve the quality of those data.

To get us started we’re going to have you read through a set of fictional stories about peoples’ work situations and then ask you to classify the person described in the story into one of several work categories. After you’re done with the stories, you and I will talk a bit about the different types of job categories that the BLS uses and if you had any reactions to the questions we asked.

The purpose of today’s session is to help us find out more about how people, like you, think about these issues. We are not here to evaluate you; we are looking to improve the questions we ask, so there are no right or wrong answers. And, of course, anything you share with us today will be kept completely confidential.

Do you have any questions so far?

Great, let’s get started. [Hand participant the packet of vignette/questions]

WEB VIGNETTE ITEM INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome. Today we will be asking you to think about different kinds of work and workplaces where people can be employed.

On the pages that follow, you will read a brief story that describes some features of work a person might do to earn a living, and then you’ll be asked to classify the person described in the story into one of several work categories.  You will see twelve different stories and answer just one question for each one. Then we will present these same twelve stories again and you will be asked a slightly different work classification question about each one. In some cases, your answers may be the same as before, and in some instances you may want to change your answer.

Please read each story carefully and completely before you pick an answer so that you have all the information it contains in your mind. We’d like you to pick your answer pretty quickly, even if you’re not 100% sure. We want to learn more about how people like you might answer questions like these on a real survey and so your own personal answer is the one we want, just based on what each story tells you. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers to any of the questions.

At the end of the session, we will ask you a few follow-up questions about work-related concepts and about your own work experiences.

Please think out loud to the extent possible, so we can tell what you are thinking about when you answer the questions.

IN-PERSON VIGNETTE PACKET INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome. Today we will be asking you to think about different kinds of work and workplaces where people can be employed.

On the pages that follow, you will read a brief story that describes some features of work a person might do to earn a living, and then you’ll be asked to classify the person described in the story into one of several work categories.  You will see twelve different stories and answer just one question for each one. Then we will present these same twelve stories again and you will be asked a slightly different work classification question about each one. In some cases, your answers may be the same as before, and in some instances you may want to change your answer. Please don’t look back the second time through to see how you answered the first time—choose your answers independent from each other.

Please read each story carefully and completely before you pick an answer so that you have all the information it contains in your mind. We’d like you to pick your answer pretty quickly, even if you’re not 100% sure. We want to learn more about how people like you might answer questions like these on a real survey and so your own personal answer is the one we want, just based on what each story tells you. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers to any of the questions.

If you have any questions about what we’re asking you to do with the stories, please ask them now before we begin. Our study rules don’t allow us to answer any questions about the actual stories, etc. after you start with the booklet.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!

[Vignette/question protocol identical for web and in-person respondents]

COW-related Items for Standard Condition:

Based on this description, would you say [Name] is: (Select only one):

Employed by the government (any level)

Employed by a private company

Employed by a non-profit organization

Self-employed

COW-related Items for Split Condition:

Based on this description, would you say [Name] is: (Select only one):

Self-employed

Not self-employed

OR

Based on this description, would you say [Name] is: (Select only one):

Employed by government (any level)

Not employed by government

OR

Based on this description, would you say [Name] is: (Select only one):

Employed by a private company

Not employed by a private company

OR

Based on this description, would you say [Name] is: (Select only one):

Employed by a non-profit organization

Not employed by a non-profit organization

3-Option COW-related Items for Both Conditions:

Based on this description, would you say [Name] is: (Select only one):

Employed by the government (any level)

Employed by a private company

Employed by a non-profit organization

WEB BUFFER ITEMS:

Thank you for answering the questions about the stories. Please tell us a bit about your own work experiences.

Are you currently employed by government, by a private company, a non-profit organization, or are you self employed?

Government

Private company

Non-profit organization

Self-employed

Not applicable (e.g., in school, unemployed, etc.)

How easy or difficult was it to classify yourself into one of these employment categories? Would you say that it was…

Very easy

Somewhat easy

Neither easy nor difficult

Somewhat difficult

Very difficult

Please tell us more about that – what is it about your job that made this choice [fill]?

Current Marital Status

Single

Married

Living with married partner

Divorced

Separated

Widowed

[If Respondent reports being married]

Is your spouse/partner currently employed by government, by a private company, a non-profit organization, or is he/she self employed?

Government

Private company

Non-profit organization

Self-employed

Not applicable (e.g., in school, unemployed, etc.)

How easy or difficult was it to classify your spouse/partner into one of these employment categories? Would you say that it was…

Very easy

Somewhat easy

Neither easy nor difficult

Somewhat difficult

Very difficult

Please tell us more about that – what made classifying your spouse/s/partner’s work [fill]?

IN-PERSON ‘BUFFER’ QUESTIONS

Now I’d like to take a moment to talk about your own work experiences.

Are you currently employed by government, by a private company, a non-profit organization, or are you self employed?

Government

Private company

Non-profit organization

Self-employed

Not applicable (e.g., in school, unemployed, etc.)

How easy or difficult was it to classify yourself into one of these employment categories? Would you say that it was…

Very easy

Somewhat easy

Neither easy nor difficult

Somewhat difficult

Very difficult

Can you tell me more about that – what is it about your job that made this choice [fill]?

• Anything else…?

• Tell me more about that…

[If R is married (based on database or screener question)]

In the Current Population Survey, respondents are asked this question about everyone in the household over the age of 15. So, I’d like to focus on your spouse/husband/wife/unmarried partner for a moment:

Is your [fill] currently employed by government, by a private company, a non-profit organization, or is [he/she] self employed?

Government

Private company

Non-profit organization

Self-employed

Not applicable (e.g., in school, unemployed, etc.)

How easy or difficult was it to classify [fill] into one of these employment categories? Would you say that it was…

Very easy

Somewhat easy

Neither easy nor difficult

Somewhat difficult

Very difficult

Can you tell me more about that – what made this choice [fill]?

Ask probes as necessary to distinguish whether question difficulty is affected by Rs’ understanding of the concepts being asked about and/or their understanding of their spouse’s/partner’s job situation. Possible probes include:

• Do you think that your spouse/partner would have answered this question for him/herself the same way that you did? Why/why not?

• What information would you need to make this question easier for you to answer about your spouse/partner?

Attachment III: Debriefing Materials

WEB FEATURE-GENERATION INSTRUCTIONS

Thank you. We are interested in what you think are characteristics or features of typical examples of the different employment situations.

To illustrate what we want you to do on this task, think about concept of a vacation. Characteristics of a typical vacation might include travel out of town, staying in a hotel, taking paid leave from work, spending money on tourist activities, etc.

We would like you to generate a list like that, but for characteristics of typical examples of 4 employment situations (i.e., someone who is employed by government; employed by a private company; employed by a non-profit; or self-employed).

It is important that you do not just free associate. For example, if your first job was with a non-profit organization, do not list ‘first job.’ Please enter each characteristic on a separate line, and think aloud as you go through the items.

[The following item-pairs will be randomized. Scripted ‘anything else’ probes will appear on web]

Think of typical examples of ‘being employed by government’ – what characteristics or features come to mind?

• Please give some examples of employers that are “government offices or agencies”

Think of typical examples of ‘being employed by a private company – what characteristics or features come to mind?

• Please give some examples of employers that are “private companies”

Think of typical examples of ‘being employed by a non-profit organization – what characteristics or features come to mind?

• Please give some examples of employers that are “non-profit organizations”

Think of typical examples of ‘being self employed’ – what characteristics or features come to mind?

• Please give some examples where the type of employment is “self employed”

IN-PERSON FEATURE-GENERATION INSTRUCTIONS

Thank you. I’d like to switch gears a bit and get into more specifics about what each of these different work-related concepts mean to you. What I’d like you to do is to think about what you think are typical examples of the 4 employment situations – for example, a typical example of someone who is employed by government or a typical example of someone who is self-employed – and then sort of list out characteristics or features of those examples.

So, to give you a sense of what I’d like you to do on this task, think about the concept of a vacation. Characteristics of a typical vacation might include travel out of town, staying in a hotel, taking paid leave from work, spending money on tourist activities, etc. I’d like you to generate a similar list, but for the different work concepts.

It is important that you do not just free associate. For example, if your first job was with a non-profit organization, please do not say ‘first job.’ Let’s begin:

Think of typical examples of ‘being employed by government’ – what characteristics or features come to mind?

• Anything else?

• Are there any other words that you could use to describe ‘being employed by government?’

• How easy or difficult was it for you to think of characteristics or features?

• How easy or difficult was it for you to think of ‘typical’ examples?

• Please give some examples of employers that are “government offices or agencies”

[Additional probes as needed for in-person participants]

Think of typical examples of ‘being employed by a private company – what characteristics or features come to mind?

• Anything else?

• Are there any other words that you could use to describe ‘being employed by a private company?’

• How easy or difficult was it for you to think of characteristics or features?

• How easy or difficult was it for you to think of ‘typical’ examples?

• Please give some examples of employers that are “private companies”

[Additional probes as needed for in-person participants]

Think of typical examples of ‘being employed by a non-profit organization – what characteristics or features come to mind?

• Anything else?

• Are there any other words that you could use to describe ‘non-profit organizations?’

• How easy or difficult was it for you to think of characteristics or features?

• How easy or difficult was it for you to think of ‘typical’ examples?

• Please give some examples of employers that are “non-profit organizations”

[Additional probes as needed for in-person participants]

Think of typical examples of ‘being self employed’ – what characteristics or features come to mind?

• Anything else?

• Are there any other words that you could use to describe ‘being self employed?’

• How easy or difficult was it for you to think of characteristics or features?

• How easy or difficult was it for you to think of ‘typical’ examples?

• Please give some examples where the type of employment is “self-employed”

[Additional probes as needed for in-person participants]

WEB ‘INCORPORATED’ FOLLOW-UP:

[This question should be asked of anyone who reported that they are self-employed.]

Previously you said that you were self-employed. Is your business incorporated?

Yes

No

[This item should be asked of everyone who received the previous item, regardless of whether or not they indicated their business was incorporated. Present item on a separate page.]

We’d like to know more about how people interpret the previous question. What does it mean to you when someone says that their business is ‘incorporated?’

IN-PERSON ‘INCORPORATED’ FOLLOW-UP:

[This question should be asked of anyone who reported that they are self-employed.]

Previously you said that you were self-employed. Is your business incorporated?

Yes

No

[This item should be asked of everyone who received the previous item, regardless of whether or not they indicated their business was incorporated. Present item on a separate page.]

We’d like to know more about how people interpret the previous question. What does it mean to you when someone says that their business is ‘incorporated?’

• Are there any other words that you could use to describe ‘being incorporated?’

• How easy or difficult was it for you to come up with a description of what it means to be ‘incorporated?’

DEMOGRAPHIC ITEMS (BOTH WEB AND IN-PERSON):

Gender

Female

Male

Age

18 - 25

26 - 35

36 - 45

46 - 65

66+

Education

Less than High School

High School Grad (or equivalent)

Some college but no degree

College degree (BA, BS, AB)

Graduate degree (MA, MS, PhD, MD, JD, etc.)